1. Field
The exemplary embodiments generally relate to storage and retrieval of goods, more particularly, to the automated storage and retrieval of goods.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
Generally in manual order distribution centers, human pickers generally walk aisles of the distribution center with a pick sheet listing all items that are needed to fulfill particular orders. The pick sheet is generally generated by a central control system based on the orders received and is often optimized in some way to minimize the amount of time it takes to retrieve all of the items on the sheet. After one or several orders have been picked from the storage aisles, the picker(s) brings the completed orders to a packaging station where the items are transferred from, for example, totes into shipping cartons.
Automated distribution center picking systems are utilized to save time and decrease costs associated with manual picking of goods. However, these automated distribution center picking systems generally require customized rack and shelving structures to accommodate a robotic picking system, or conveyors and sorters to aid human picking. These automated distribution center picking systems are cost prohibitive to many distribution centers and require a significant investment in both capital and time, which is typically on the order of months or over a year for full installation and system integration to be completed. In addition, changes to the automated distribution center picking systems can be costly as expansion of the automated systems is disruptive and contraction of the system yields under-utilization of system resources or additional disruptive changes.
It would be advantageous to have a material handling and storage system that is flexible an adaptive to customer needs and that addresses the issues noted above.